Venehanbund



O. L. HERRON VENETIAN BLIND May 14, 1946.

Original Filed Nov. 20, 1945 INVENTOR. -0ZZZ Herr-0r Reieeued May 14, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE r za'lss Ollie L. Herro Chicago, Ill. onnnn m. 2,319,353, dated June 20, ms, Serial No. 511,060, November :0, 194:. pplication is: m September 1:, 1945, Serial No. 615,900

' a Claims. (cl. 160-178) terconnecting tabs disposed under each slat.

While blinds of this character have been andare widely used, a common and serious objection to them is that the fabric strips become soiled or discolored and as a. result the blind presents an unsightly appearance. It is exceedingly diflicult to clean the strips since they are fastened to the structure and it is impossible to remove them for dry or other similar cleaning. Usually an attempt to clean them while in place leaves telltale discoloration or marks and often the strips have a worse appearance than they had before cleaning.

One object of the present invention is to prm vide a Venetian blind having an improved type of ribbon and slat suppqrting structure which will avoid the objections previousl noted with respect to the fabric strips.

, Another'object of the present invention is to provide a Venetian blind which is more easily less steel, and the metal should be of such charmember I I, constituting the upper and lower ends of the blind. In the design illustrated, three pairs of ribbons i2, i3 and II are connectedtothe cross members II and .II and each of these pairs as seen in Figure 1 comprises ribbons it and ii. The ribbons are constructed from thin, flexible and preferably non-rusting metal, such as stainacter as to be capable of repeated folding or collapsing in the manner shown by Figure 4, without breaking. Various types of stainless steel vmay be used as will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art. The metal should be extremely thin, on th order of three or four thousandths of an inch, for instance, since a fairly flexible ribbon is desired and one which is not too heavy.

. The slats are indicated at l8 and each slat is supported on each pair of ribbons by a connecting element 20 which in Figure 2 comprises a bar or rod having ball shaped ends 2i and 22. These elements extend through openings in the ribbons and the opening is slightly smaller than the ball shaped end so as" to require some pressure in order to force the end through the opening. It should be readily understood that the opening may be of such size that the ball shaped end may be sprung through the opening by pressure and that once it is through the opening it will not be released during an ordinary use of the blind.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing wherein:

1 Figure 1 is an elevational view of a window having a Venetian blind constructed according to one form of the invention.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectionalview on a larger scale taken substantially along the line 2-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view taken substantially along the line 3-1 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, illustrating the blind in a partially folded or collapsed condition.

Figures 5 and 6 are views illustrating a modified form of slat supporting means constructed according to the invention.

Figures 7 and 8 are forms of the invention illustrating modified types of supporting ribbons or strips for holding the slats.

blind illustrated may comprise an upper cross Such openings may be circular or, asillustrated in Figures 7 and 8, at 23 and 24, the openings may be polygonal or star shaped. In each case the element 2| may be assembled with the ribbons by pressing the ball shaped ends through the openings.

Additional openings '25 may be provided in the ribbons at points between the slats ll so as to provide even greater flexibility at bending points, or in other words, to facilitate folding of the ribbons. lnFlgureitheblindisshowninapartly folded condition, and it will be observed that the openings 26 serve to initiate the bending of the the concave side next'to the slats so that greater resistance to folding towards the slats will be providedand hence folding will occur outwardly due to the slightly greater resistance. The bowing of the strip in this manner need only be very slight member or similar structure ll and a lower cross in order to accomplish this result,

Instead of using rectangular openings 25 in Figure 3, the openings as indicated at II in Figure 7 may be hexagonal or of other polygonal form to correspond with the openings 23. This design may enhance the appearance of the structure. Similarly, as shown in Figure 8, the openings between the slats as indicated at 29 may be star shaped. Round openings also might be used in place of the openings 25 in Figure 3.

The elements 20 may be constructed of metal or other material of suitable character and it may be found preferable to use a plastic. Use of the latter material also is advantageous in that various colors may be readily obtained and hence the appearance of the blind may be varied or changed by using elements that have ball shaped ends of different colors. In connection with the metal ribbons, these normally may have a bright finish but a satin or otherfinish may also be obtained in stainless steel and either finish greatly improves the appearance of'the blind, especially ifthe connecting elements and ribbons provide an attractive combination.

Figure shows another form of connecting element ii to take the place of the elements 20 and in this form fabric strips are used which have eyes 32 at their ends with the latter provided with ball shaped elements 33.

In the structure shown by Figure 6 fabric strips 35 are used for connecting the ribbons and these are connected to fastening devices 36 at their ends which have pivotal elements 31. The pivotal elements 31 may be swung into alignment with the opening in the ribbon so as to allow insertion or withdrawal of the fastening device through the opening in the ribbonand then the pivotal element 31 may be swung into the position shown. In some cases it may be found pref erable to use this type of fastener.

The usual means of tilting the slats may be used in the blind although this is not shown excepting for the pull cords 39 and In. The usual depending loop 4i is shown also and this is used for raising the lower cross element II by means of cords 42 extending downwardly through the slats as seen in Figure 2. Such cords are con nected at their lower ends to the cross member ii and when the loop Ii is pulled downwardly, the cords are raised. Ordinarily, the cords I! will only be used between the two end pairs i2 and ll of the metal ribbons.

Although more than one form of the invention has been illustrated and described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A Venetian blind comprising upper and lower cross supporting members, a series of slats arranged one above the other, a pair of thin, resiliently flexible vertically extending metal ribbons connected at their upper and lower ends to the cross members and extending downwardly at opposite sides of the slats, and means connecting the ribbons at each slat and extending under the slat to support the latter, said ribbons being foldable in accordion fashion as the lower cross member is elevated.

2. A Venetian blind comprising upper and lower cross supporting members, a seriesoi' slats arranged one above the other, a pair of thin, flexible vertically extending metal ribbons connected at their upper and lower ends to the cross members and extending downwardly at opposite sides of the slats, and means connecting the ribbons at each slat and extending under the slat to support the latter, said ribbons being foldable in accordion fashion as the lower cross member is elevated and having openings vertically intermediate the slat connecting means to facilitate the folding action.

3. A Venetian blind comprising upper and lower cross supporting members, a series of slats arranged one above the other, a pair of thin, resiliently flexible-vertically extending metal ribbons connected at their upper and lower ends to the cross members and extending downwardly at opposite sides of the slats and having openings therethrough at the edges of the respective slats, and means connecting the ribbons at each slat and extending under the slat and comprising an element having knobs at its ends projectable through said openings by a snap action.

4. A Venetian blind comprising upper and lower cross supporting members, a series of slats arranged one above the other, a pair of thin, reresiliently flexible vertically extending metal ribbons connected at their upper and lower ends to the cross members and extending downwardly at opposite sides of the slats and having openings therethrough at the edges of the respective slats, and means connecting the ribbons at each slat and extending under the slat and comprising an element having balls at its ends projectable through said openings by a snap action.

5. A Venetian blind comprising upper and lower cross supporting members, a series of slats arranged one above the other, a pair of thin, flexible, vertically extending metal ribbons connected at their upper and lower ends to the cross members and extending downwardly at opposite sides of the slats, and means connecting the ribbons at each slat and extending under the slat to support the latter, said ribbons being foldable in accordion fashion as the lower cross member is elevated, and having weakened portions vertically intermediate the slat connecting means for reducing the resistance of the ribbons to bending.

6. A Venetian blind comprising an upper cross member, a series of slats, and a pair of resiliently flexible, thin steel ribbons disposed at opposite sides of and supporting the assembled slats and I of the slats and having openings therethrough adapted to fold in accordion fashion, the slats being tiltable between the ribbons and also raisable vertically in a progressive manner beginning with the lowermost slat.

7. A Venetian blind comprising pper and lower cross supporting members, a series of slats arranged one above the other, a pair of resiliently flexible, vertically extending ribbons connected at their upper and lower ends to the cross members and extending downwardly at opposite sides at the edges of the respective slats, and means connecting the ribbons at each slat and extending under the slat and comprising an element having knobs at its ends projectable through said openings by a snap action.

8. A Venetian blind comprising upper and lower cross supporting members, a series of slats arranged one above the other, a pair of resiliently flexible, vertically extending ribbons connected at their upper and lower ends to the cross members and extending downwardly at opposite sides of the slats, an element extending under each slat and between the ribbons, and snap, releasable means connecting the ribbons to the ends of each 011.11: It HERRON. I 

